“We are our choices.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
And I gotta admit, it’s happier than most because A.) I just found out my official title for book 2 in the Heart of San Francisco series will be Dare to Love Again, which I like a lot (my original title was Dare to Love, so I came closer on this one than any of the others!). B.) I sent the final ms. for Dare to Love Again to my editor on Wednesday, and I have to admit — it turned out better than I thought and Keith liked it so well, he wants to read it again!! Says he misses the characters, which is a very good thing! I think it’s a light and funny romance, so hopefully you will too.
And C.) I get to babysit my precious granddaughter and the granddogs tonight, so looking forward to that!!
So what’s up next in my writing schedule? Well, my next project is to re-edit A Light in the Window to incorporate a scene eluded to in A Passion Denied about Sam kissing Marcy the morning of her wedding. I’ve had a number of readers bemoan the fact that I didn’t include that in the book, so since I planned on doing a few small edits anyway, I thought, why not?
Then next, I dive in to book 3 of The Heart of San Francisco series, Dare to Hope (working title), and I have to be honest — I’m chomping at the bit on this one because ideas are slamming me so hard on the treadmill, I can barely keep up. Here’s a sneak peek at what it’s about:
1-Line Premise: An ugly duckling who becomes a swan plots romantic vindication on the man who spurned her with the help of the best friend who steals her heart.
Moral Premise: Rejection, insecurity and guilt can skew our choices, resulting in misery and lack of peace, but acceptance, confidence and faith in God can shape our choices, resulting in contentment and peace.
Scripture Theme:
The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook. —Proverbs 18:4
Opening Paragraphs of Synopsis:
San Francisco, Summer 1904
Close your mouth, Devin Caldwell, you’ll swallow a fly. The very thought twitched the edges of Meghan McClare’s mouth with a smile that tingled all the way to her toes.
“Now, there’s a thought that’s up to no good,” her friend Bram Hughes said with a lazy grin, hazel eyes twinkling with his trademark tease that never failed to warm her inside and out.
Tilting her head, she studied the best friend who’d been there for her through thick and thin. Thick before Paris, thin after. Palms damp, she smoothed the slim waist of her House of Worth suit, nibbling the edge of a smile that was no longer painfully shy. No good is right, she thought with a crook of her lips, chin edging up. Eat your heart out, Devin Caldwell.
So, please say one for me as I dive in to this, the last book in the McClare saga!
Now … when I first named my blog Journal Jots, the original intent was a short journel entry that I would “jot” down to my reader friends on a regular basis, but as everyone knows who reads my books, Seeker blogs, or Journal Jots, I don’t do “short” real well. But today, that’s about to change.
Why? Because nothing I can say can compare to the impact of a video I saw this week. My future son-in-law sent me this clip from an Oprah show with Rick Warren and Nick Vujicic that is simply one of the most inspiring — if not THE most inspiring — clip I have ever seen. I leaked countless tears when I watched it because it packs a wallop of a message to each one of us regarding choices we make … choices that become who we are as our quote above so wisely points out. So please do watch the video … at least till the part where Nick Vujicic comes on because I promise you, it will greatly affect your life and your perception of the choices we all make. Here’s the link:
Oprah Clip Entitled: This Is Going To Shut Your Mouth
Happy viewing, Happy Weekend, and Happy Choices!!
Hugs,
Julie
